I remember my first day of high school so clearly. Everyone kept saying it was going to be the best four years of my life. By the end of the day I already knew that it was not going to be the best four years of my life. At the end of the day I kept thinking to myself, "This will be over soon enough."
The amount of rules that high school had is beyond ridiculous. I don't understand why they have a dress code. Apparently it's distracting to guys if my bra strap is slightly showing. I don't understand this concept because there is no dress code in college. They don't send me home in college if my bra strap or stomach shows, and the guys seem to be able to focus just fine. If a guy wants to look at you, he's going to do it regardless of what clothes you are wearing.
My school decided to have a rule that you could not give hugs. What kind of rule is this? You are not allowed to hug your friends? How is hugging affecting your education in any way? High school had so many rules that were impossible to digest, I just kept asking, "Why am I here?" Or "What is the point?" They also created a rule that you could not wear sweatshirts with hoods, which got appealed within the first week due to the madness that the rule was causing. Really? Hooded sweatshirts? What is wrong with them? Don't we have bigger problems to be worrying about? How about the education of the children attending school, does that matter anymore?
Why is it that I learned how to do prove a triangle, but I never learned how to write out a check? Why did I not learn about personal finances? Why did I go to school for things that are not going to help me in the future? Why??????
Everyone thought that popularity mattered. When you were in high school being popular meant everything. In reality it didn't mean anything. All of the people who were "popular" don't even hangout anymore. They all went away to school and made their own friends. Being popular is just a phase that people go through. It turns out that the people who were popular weren't even that nice.
Bullies? Yes there were bullies. People got bullied, for some of the dumbest things I have ever heard of. Once I overheard a kid being bullied for being a nerd by a jock who never handed in his assignments. Guess what bully, the joke is on you. You're the one who can't get into college, while the kid that you bullied is in an Ivy League school.
Getting changed for gym was something that everyone dreaded. People were insecure about getting changed in the locker rooms, because it was a beauty competition. You would look over and there would be this beautiful girl with a perfect body and then you would look at yourself and feel disgusting. It was also awkward because high school is the point where girls start wearing thongs and being more open about it, so everyone would compare their thongs while getting changed.
Everyone was always in your business - if you missed a class, were late too much, or were doing bad in a class, a phone call would automatically get sent to your house. The teachers did not give you the opportunity to fix things on your own, they automatically called your house even without talking to you first.
"Out of School Suspension" was the dumbest thing I have ever heard of. Oh, you skipped class so let me "punish" you by telling you to stay home for two days. REALLY? That really helps kids learn the consequences of their behavior.
Overall high school is the weirdest point of your life and it's at such a weird age. In high school you're just a young teenager being told to grow up too fast and it's overwhelming. People are asking what you want to do in the future when you should be living in the moment.
Graduation was one of the best moments of my life. I kept thinking back to four years ago when I told myself that it would be over soon enough, and I was right. I got through school and I did it, I graduated. Now I am on to bigger and better things. College offers you so much more freedom.To the seniors who are feeling stressed right now: try to put your stress level down a little bit, because the best is yet to come.
Sheetal Tadiparty
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